Raw Power

© rumbum.com, Thaddeus Foote

Nancy Ash at Board Up Miami 2009

Nancy flies into hurricanes.  “It’s one thing humans can’t control” said Nancy Ash, Flight Meteorologist for the Hurricane Hunters and NOAA, when asked why she loves her favorite natural phenomenon.  “We’ve figured out how to control everything else, but not the raw power of hurricanes.” 

Born in “The Prairie State” (IL), Nancy grew up about 1,200 miles from the nearest hurricane.  She did, however, take to the pool at the ripe age of seven and continues to compete in US Master’s Swimming twenty eight years later.   Most recently, Nancy partook in the Aquavee 10K, held in partnership with Nike Swim Miami and Board Up Miami 2009.  10K, for those of us more accustomed to “Imperial Units”, is 6.213 miles.  That’s four clockwise loops (opposite the direction of a hurricane) all the way around the Marine Stadium Basin.  That’s like swimming from South Beach to Coconut Grove.

In the three hours and ten seconds it took Nancy to finish second in her division, she “had a lot of time to think about [her] stroke.”  Although a 17mph East wind is a mere breeze to a professional hurricane chaser, it does provide a challenge to the average swimmer. For half the race, the chop continually slapped her on the left cheek forcing her to breathe only on the right.  After 180 minutes of such conditions, it’s all about the “discipline and training”, explained Ash.  Competitors need the physical strength and mental focus to stay on course throughout a competition.  If a swimmer preoccupies herself with fatigue, she cannot concentrate on technique which is a losing combination. 

As the foundation to all water sports, swimming appreciated a more popular presence this year at Board Up Miami than ever before.  Over 600 swimmers participated in one of the races offered and over 60 in the 10K.  Many swimmers use this Swimming USA sanctioned event as a training opportunity, including Nancy.  Although she loves the “crawl”, her aquatic favorite is the “butterfly” stroke.  The “combination of flying and being in the ocean” is the feeling that fuels her dreams of qualifying for the 2012 Olympics.

To a woman who flies into hurricanes for a living, strength and endurance are not options, they are necessary tools for survival and success.  As the 2009 hurricane season approaches, most of us will buy water, batteries and plywood.  Nancy, on the other hand, will fuel up her plane and keep swimming into the wind.